​Following on from our previous running blog, we decided to make a short video, demonstrating a simple and effective hip mobility stretch, to help you get the most out of running and reduce the chances of injury.

Mobility is an essential component in all sports. Creating mobility through stretching is essential and the most effective stretches are those that look, in the whole or part like the sport that you are preparing for. Notice how the hip stretch in the video is performed in a running type posture and creates the hip movements that will carry over into improved running performance. Give it a go and let us know what you think!

Following on from our previous golf blog, here's a quick hitter to help improve hip mobility, so you can generate more power in your swing and reduce the chances of injury.

When we swing at a golf ball we need to be sure that we have plenty of internal rotation in the back hip. This allows us to lengthen and load our powerful butt/gluteal muscles and create a powerful swing. If we can't power the swing from our hips, we lose power and risk injury. Give it a go and lets us know what you think!

Move over trifle, step aside Pavlova, this is a three layer cake that most people with allergies will be able to eat and enjoy!I had been figuring this recipe out for a while and decided to make it for Christmas to cater for those family and friends with allergies. It was a great success so I decided to share the joy!It's based on a 'Bounty Bar' - dark chocolate and creamy coconut. Delicious on its own or with berries - here with fresh raspberries for that Christmassy look.(Note: I suggest you make the creamy coconut filling before the base so you don't have to wash all that chocolate out of the food processor between layers).

Put all ingredients into the blender or better still, the food processor (easier to get the mixture out of) and blend till combined and smooth. Press into the bottom of a 22-24cm round cake tin. I used a 24 cm round silicon baking tin for ease of removal.

This can be made two ways...The easiest and quickest way by far is to melt a 250 gram bar of Whittakers Dark Ghana Chocolate over hot water, taking care not to get any water in the melting chocolate, then add half a cup of good quality coconut cream. Stir it through and you have delicious ganache to spread on the coconut layer.This sort of dark chocolate has a small amount of sugar in it and has no dairy added so should be dairy free although it is made on the same line as the dairy milk chocolate, so if you are highly allergic to dairy this recipe is your best option:

Melt the cacao butter over a very low heat and keep an eye on it. You want it to get barely warm while it melts. Remove from heat. Add the cacao powder and sweetener and stir until it's a chocolatey sauce. Then add the coconut cream and stir in quickly. The ganache will thicken and its now ready to spread on the coconut layer. Put in the refrigerator to set. The whole cake can be frozen for a couple of weeks then thawed out for a few hours before cutting.

Press the cake out of the tin gently and turn up the right way on a large plate.

It's lovely to serve with some fresh raspberries and also homemade raspberry puree - gently warm some frozen raspberries in a small pot with a little water and a tablespoon of honey or other non refined sweetener of your choice. If you like, you could also enjoy it with some whipped coconut cream or dairy free ice cream. If you have any leftovers, they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about one week.

A slice of too rare joy for anyone with food allergies, though everyone can enjoy this celebratory cake.

Athletic performance in golf seems to get little consideration outside of the professional game. You wouldn’t play rugby or cricket without training to improve athletic performance, so why do people do so with golf? All too often the only warm up a golfer will do before they hit the ball, is carrying their clubs to the first tee!

As well as having the correct equipment and the correct technique, the golfer needs their body to have the correct mobility and stability, to create the movement necessary for a successful golf swing.When a golfer plays without the necessary physical preparation, they invite injury and don’t play to their full potential.

Common golfing injuries include:​

Lower back pain

Golfers elbow

Shoulder / rotator cuff injury

Knee pain

​At City Osteopaths we use NG360°, the Nike Golf Performance System. This is a scientific process of analysis and training that enables us to enhance athleticism and performance of golfers at all skill levels. This process, coupled with osteopathic principles and techniques, are a potent force for creating success on the golf course.

We offer a unique and effective approach to treating golfers. This includes:​

Providing an accurate diagnosis of any golfing injuries

Performing specialist mobility assessment to understand areas of the swing for potential for improvement

Providing effective hands on treatment to improve mobility and help injured tissues heal

Prescribe a personalised exercise program to help golfers recover from injury, remain injury free and play better golf

People around fifty years of age or earlier will usually notice their joints getting stiffer and muscles tighter.

As a Registered Osteopath, I hear this a lot in practice, “Oh it's just getting older” is usually the phrase. However have you stopped to think if that is really the case? It is true that our tissues lose some elasticity with the reduction in collagen as we head beyond fifty, however research has shown it is a case of “use it or lose it” rather than the passing years that determines how mobile we are as we get older.

Movement is crucial for ‘oiling’ our joints with synovial fluid and improving the blood supply carrying nutrients and oxygen to every one of our nine trillion cells in our body.

Here are the top seven points for keeping mobile as we age:

Develop a daily routine of gentle stretches - this can be a short as five minutes but needs to be done daily. Once you start, be determined to continue each day for the whole week, then add another week till you get to 3 or 4 weeks and then decide if it is helpful to you. Not missing a day means you can never go through being stiff and sore again!​​

Time your stretches for the same time each day, at a time that works for you. People often find either first thing before breakfast, or when first home from work or just before bed are the best times in their busy schedule. I could say that “you wouldn't miss brushing your teeth for a day so think of your mobility exercise like that and don't miss a day!”

Start gently and slowly build up. Some days you may only manage a couple of minutes and do your favourites, but at least you have not missed a day. Over time you might start to enjoy them so much you go to ten minutes or even twenty minutes on the weekend and really feel the benefits. Adding in a weekly class in Pilates or yoga with a qualified and experienced teacher is also very beneficial to support the daily practice and correct any technique issues you may have.

If you are not sure what exercises to start with, ask one of our Reg. Osteopaths, we are experts in anatomy, physiology and suitable exercises. Also if we have treated you, we are pretty clued up about what will be best for your body too!

Walking is usually a good way to get moving and within most people's ability. Try to walk on natural ground, that is surfaces that have some 'interest' to them rather then just flat pavements. Using minimalist footwear can really help improve the amount of proprioceptive feedback your central nervous system gets from your feet and legs which can be very helpful in reducing some forms of back pain.

Ideally get your partner, friends or whole family joining in! If you can encourage each other, this will help you keep going. Also the whole family and your friends benefit, with better posture and mood (think blood to brain and more exercise induced endorphins).

Add some balance exercises in there, this can be as simple as standing on one foot as you brush your teeth. Right foot for the top teeth, left foot for the bottom teeth. Falls are what can really set a person back when they are getting older, its the fall and break a hip which may be the injury never quite recovered from.

(PS: If you have already fallen then you don't need a doctors referral to come see one of our osteopaths. We can help you fill out the ACC forms in our clinic. We are able get you back on your feet in the nicest possible way then give you some suitable exercises to help prevent recurrence and to improve your overall wellness and mobility).

Finally, I can report this works, not just from research but from my experience, having just completed nearly five years of daily mobility and strengthening exercises without missing a day. I feel SO good with this daily routine. I found by committing to it and waking a bit earlier I have been able to fit it into each day, while working full-time as an Registered Osteopath and small business owner and being mum to two primary school age children.

"If you can allocate the small amount of time and make a commitment to yourself to do it daily, I promise you that keeping mobile as you age, IS possible!"